


an instrument of thy vision

by pearwaldorf



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Identity, Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Names, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearwaldorf/pseuds/pearwaldorf
Summary: Rise of Skywalker spoilers ahead.Finn has conversations with Rey and Poe after the events of the movie.
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Poe Dameron & Finn
Comments: 9
Kudos: 106





	an instrument of thy vision

There is so much datawork involved in being a general. Finn wonders if he would have accepted if he’d known—just throw Poe to a bureaucracy that survived the destruction of six Core planets and fuck off to a nice tropical world in the Outer Rim. He would never do that, of course, but looking at the endless list of things people want him to approve or give opinions on makes him think about it longingly.

Rey is puzzling through a form on her datapad. The thing should be interactive, but it’s easier to just read through the instructions and scroll to the appropriate lines. 

“Sith holocrons were easier to read than this.” She throws the datapad on the couch and sighs dramatically. 

“To be fair, they were probably designed by people who wanted the information inside them accessed,” he says absently. Why in the name of the Force does this random protocol droid think he has opinions on place settings for a banquet he has no intention of attending? He deletes the message.

“Can you help me with this?” She asks.

“Yeah, of course.” His friend needs him. There’s no better reason to stop looking at his inbox.

He looks at the form. Standard universal New Republic petition for a name change. She’s filled out as much as she can, but the spots for her parents’ names are blank. 

“I don’t know anything about them, other than what he told me before—” She makes a vague gesture. 

“I can help you look. There’s always information in a database somewhere.” He remembers the message from Jannah, the tremble in her voice when her and Lando’s team located a copy of the First Order’s “asset acquisition logs.” They’d wept together over the comms, grateful they’d be able to give at least some people their pasts back. 

(He has not searched for his family yet. There’s still so much he has to do here, dismantling the Resistance and ensuring a smooth transition from quasi-military command to civilian rule. There’s also so much uncertainty he doesn’t think he can deal with right now. What if they’re dead? What if they never wanted him and gave him up voluntarily?) 

“Have you considered taking a surname?” Rey asks. “It must be a little weird being referred to only as General Finn.” 

“I think at this point, weird is relative. I was FN-2187 for far longer than I’ve been Finn.” It’s strange how hazy those years are now, the way they blended into one another. He remembers almost every day with the Resistance, something new to discover with Rey, Poe, or any number of new associates: friends, comrades, siblings-in-arms. 

“You might be right.” They spend some time contemplating the truly ridiculous circumstances of their lives, but also the things they’ve received as part of such.

“I don’t think she’d mind if you took her name. Leia, I mean.” She laces her fingers into his. “She would be honored.” 

He’s familiar with the General’s past and has read the databank entries about the people who raised her. He can see where she got her fierce sense of justice, the tireless urge to fight for the ideals she believed in. He thinks about the statue of her parents on Yavin 4, what Poe told him about the mission his mother flew with her, and the people who come up to him in the streets to express their condolences about her death. 

“I’ll do my best to be worthy of it.” 

Rey squeezes his hand. “You already are.” 

— 

Poe’s eyes mist over when Finn tells him about his intentions, and he hugs Finn close. 

“Not that you need my approval, but I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing.” He pulls back and looks at Finn.

“I hope so.” Finn wipes his eyes. 

“I know so,” Poe says firmly. “She loved all of us, but you especially. Rey too.” 

It’s difficult to talk about the way the Resistance became everything to the General after the dissolution of her marriage and family. Everybody knew on some level, but nobody was ever sure how much of it was distraction versus therapy. 

“Remember when Rey finally learned to lift all those rocks?” Finn asks.

Poe smiles. “Yeah. I don’t know who was more excited, her or Rey.” 

(They’d stopped, gaping in astonishment at the swirling, interconnected circles spinning around Rey as she floated high above the ground. There was a disbelieving, jubilant expression on her face: _I’m doing it. You can see this!_ Leia practically glowed with satisfaction and pride, and Finn could not remember if he’d ever seen her so happy. 

Rey kept the rocks spinning for a couple more minutes, just to show she could. 

“All right, now you’re just showing off.” Leia chided, but she was smiling.

“Yes, Master,” Rey said, with absolutely no remorse. She let the rocks fall to the ground, lowering herself more sedately before she flung herself into Leia’s embrace. Leia whispered something to Rey that made her tear up and hold her even tighter. Eventually, she released her hold, swiping at her eyes. 

Finn and Poe both hugged her then, giddy with their delight and joy mingling. Finn glanced back at Leia watching them, peaceful and content.)

“Do you think she’s proud of us?” 

Poe slings an arm around Finn’s waist. “She once told me I had the Force sense of a potato, but I don’t need it to say I know she is.” 

— 

The klieg lights on the press stage are bright. Cameras stand by, ready to stream the conference to billions of sentients across the galaxy. 

Poe looks at him. “You ready, buddy?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” 

Poe squeezes his shoulder before they walk on stage. He leans into his microphone.

“My co-general has an announcement before we get into today’s press conference.” He flashes a smile at Finn.

Haltingly at first, he speaks of Leia: the kindness she showed him as a defector from the First Order, the trust she placed in his capability when no one else did. The way she worked harder than anybody else in the Resistance and concerned herself with everybody in it. Her indomitable strength in the face of unimaginable tragedy and dry sense of humor that crept out at the perfect time. 

He speaks of Bail and Breha, what he knows of them through the lessons they imparted to their daughter. The stories the old-timers shared of Bail during the Rebellion, how proud he was of Leia following in his footsteps. The way various mentees of the late Queen reached out to the Resistance, volunteering the skills Leia’s mother helped teach them. Threepio and Artoo’s recollection of the adventures (finally unclassified) they took part in. 

“The Organa name is an ancient one, dating back beyond the colonization of Alderaan and the founding of the first Galactic Republic itself. It is old enough its linguistic origins have been lost, but the meaning remains: ‘instrument, that with which one works’; a fitting title for a line that has long distinguished itself in service of freedom. It is with all these things in mind I take on the surname of Organa, as a reminder and guide for both myself, the Resistance, and the new Republic to come.” 

Far in the back, he thinks he sees a figure glimmering in blue like a fuzzy holo image. It’s the General, smiling; pleased, satisfied, proud. He’s not sure if it’s a trick of the light, because next time he glances over it’s gone.

“General Organa!” A reporter waves xir appendage.

“Yes,” Finn acknowledges. 

“First off, congratulations. Does your announcement have anything to do with the new policy modifications regarding petitions for name changes?”

He grins. “Thanks, Glarul. I know nobody’s going to believe me, but no. Just a perfect coincidence of unrelated events. Who’s next?”


End file.
